The Guadeloupe Bonifieur is a variety of coffee grown in Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe Bonifieur is the ancestor of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee and is very rare. The fresh air, high altitude, and abundance of rain create ideal conditions for growing this Arabica variety. The variety is called Guadeloupe Bonifieur because of its high quality and great taste, and because, in the past, it was used to enhance lower quality blends. Connoisseurs consider it one of the best coffees in the world, even though it is only available from a few distributors. Definition The name Bonifieur comes from the French "to improve", and is derived from the coffee's enhancing qualities. The Guadeloupe Bonifieur is considered by connoisseurs as "one of the best coffees in the world". Nevertheless, there is no official definition of the Bonifieur. Producers refuse to establish a product characterisation because of the extreme diversity of cultural techniques and inconsistent quality. Some historians even have different version of the name's origin. According to some, the producers would keep the Guadeloupe Habitant, of superior quality, for themselves and the rest, of lesser quality was exported. According to others, the “café bonifieur” was of better quality, therefore was exported. Guadeloupe Bonifieur is notorious for its mystery, as some claim it to be mythical. History The French Revolution, and coffee diseases decreased the plantation. In 1859, only 2009 hectares remained. The Grande Riviere valley only accounted for 6 great estates then: Loiseau, Vitalis, Sainte – Anne, Beausejour, La Grivelière, Barthole. The French colony used to export 6000 tons of coffee to mainland France at the end of the 17th century under the name “cafe bonifieur”. However, the increase in taxes due to the Blocus in early 18th century reduced the export to 1000 tons. Heavy competition damaged the coffee industry, and the production decreased to 225 tons during the 18th century. Coffee still dominated the landscape in the early 20th century, but new diseases like the yellow rust, and a 1928 hurricane, destroyed this failing production. The banana tree, primarily used to protect the coffee trees, recovered quicker and developed at the expense of coffee trees. After the war, the rural exodus broke the growth that took place where the export volume increased by 25%. Altitude plantations were progressively abandoned, the plots were concentrated in the piedmonts, and coffee was not mentioned in the agricultural statistics after 1965. Some dynamic producers revived the